--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When you're a writer, you want to try to…" description: "\"When you're a writer, you want to try to avoid cliches. Unfortunately, when you're writing about marriage or family, all cliches seem to apply.\" — Dan ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d48/dan-savage-2880_cliche_when-you-re-a-writer-you-want-to-try-to_1220576.jpg" --- # When you're a writer, you want to try to avoid cliches… ![“When you're a writer, you want to try to avoid cliches. Unfortunately, when you're writing about marriage or family, all cliches seem to apply.” quote by Dan Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d48/dan-savage-2880_cliche_when-you-re-a-writer-you-want-to-try-to_1220576.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d48/dan-savage-2880_cliche_when-you-re-a-writer-you-want-to-try-to_1220576.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d48/dan-savage-2880_cliche_when-you-re-a-writer-you-want-to-try-to_1220576.jpg) > “When you're a writer, you want to try to avoid cliches. Unfortunately, when you're writing about marriage or family, all cliches seem to apply.” [Dan Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-savage/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Writers aim to avoid clichés, yet marriage and family topics naturally invoke them, showing the difficulty of originality in universal experiences. **In simple terms:** Family writing often falls into familiar patterns. Key Takeaway Seek fresh angles in familiar topics. Themes writing family cliché creativity challenge Mood thoughtful analytical Type instructional reflective When to use this quote - novel writing - blog posts - screenplays Key Concepts literary theory authenticity narrative technique Questions to Reflect On - How can you subvert a cliché? - What fresh perspective can you bring to family stories? A Different Perspective Clichés can limit depth if overused. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Avoid Cliches](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/avoid-cliches-456253/) [Cliche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cliche/) [Cliches](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cliches/) [Cliches Apply](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cliches-apply-3736338/) [Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) [Family Cliches](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family-cliches-3736337/) [Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage/) [Seems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seems/) [Trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-marriage-3736339/) ## Related quotes > [Don't avoid the cliches - they are cliches because they work!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-lucas/don-t-avoid-the-cliches-they-are-cliches-because-they-work/) [George Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-lucas/) > [Last, but not least, avoid cliches like the plague.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-safire/last-but-not-least-avoid-cliches-like-the-plague/) [William Safire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-safire/) > [Most artists try to avoid cliches, but it's pretty hard to avoid them if you yourself end up being one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-hall/most-artists-try-to-avoid-cliches-but-it-s-pretty-hard-to-avoid-them/) [Daryl Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-hall/) > [I try my best to not just avoid cliches but to write with some meaning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-shires/i-try-my-best-to-not-just-avoid-cliches-but-to-write-with-some-meaning/) [Amanda Shires](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-shires/) > [Always try in interviews to avoid the cliches about the problems of public life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/always-try-in-interviews-to-avoid-the-cliches-about-the-problems-of/) [Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/) > [“I’m not writing a book of Western history,' I tell him. 'I’ve written enough history books to know this isn’t one. I’m writing about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stegner/i-m-not-writing-a-book-of-western-history-i-tell-him-i-ve-written/) [Wallace Stegner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stegner/) > [Recently I read the stories I wrote in my early 20s, to put in a volume. And here is this brittle young woman, writing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-enright/recently-i-read-the-stories-i-wrote-in-my-early-20s-to-put-in-a/) [Anne Enright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-enright/) > [Avoid cliches, avoid generalizations, find your own voice, show compassion, and ask the important questions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/avoid-cliches-avoid-generalizations-find-your-own-voice-show/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Do not put statements in the negative form. And don't start sentences with a conjunction. If you reread your work, you will find on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-safire/do-not-put-statements-in-the-negative-form-and-don-t-start-sentences/) [William Safire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-safire/) > [Every cliche is true, right? That's why they're cliches.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-s-di-piero/every-cliche-is-true-right-that-s-why-they-re-cliches/) [W. S. Di Piero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-s-di-piero/) > [I'm sick of the old cliches. Bring me some new cliches.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-goldwyn-jr/i-m-sick-of-the-old-cliches-bring-me-some-new-cliches/) [Samuel Goldwyn, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-goldwyn-jr/) > [When academics claim a topic is obsolete, they mean merely they are tired of flogging it with their cliches.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-smith/when-academics-claim-a-topic-is-obsolete-they-mean-merely-they-are/) [Kenny Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-smith/) > [I think the French have a romantic cliche that Englishmen have great style, great music, irony and sense of humour. Well, sometimes cliches are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josephine-de-la-baume/i-think-the-french-have-a-romantic-cliche-that-englishmen-have-great/) [Josephine de La Baume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josephine-de-la-baume/) > [There are trappings of science fiction which I kind of embrace, but there are also cliches which I run from.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-twohy/there-are-trappings-of-science-fiction-which-i-kind-of-embrace-but/) [David Twohy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-twohy/) > [All the cliches of glamorous sophistication have little appeal to me. Do I want to live the British version of 'Dynasty?' No thanks!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sade-adu/all-the-cliches-of-glamorous-sophistication-have-little-appeal-to-me/) [Sade Adu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sade-adu/) ## More by Dan Savage > [Preaching to the choir actually arms the choir with arguments and elevates the choir's discourse. There's a reason the right does it and does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-savage/preaching-to-the-choir-actually-arms-the-choir-with-arguments-and/) [Dan Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-savage/) > [Bisexuals need to recognize that their being closeted is a huge contributing factor to the hostility they face.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-savage/bisexuals-need-to-recognize-that-their-being-closeted-is-a-huge/) [Dan Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-savage/) > [Really, when it comes to gay rights, there's two wars going on. The first war is political. But the culture war is over.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-savage/really-when-it-comes-to-gay-rights-there-s-two-wars-going-on-the/) [Dan Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-savage/) > [I get letters every year from women who think Valentine's Day is an empty exercise, but are ironically pretty exercised when their boyfriends neglect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-savage/i-get-letters-every-year-from-women-who-think-valentine-s-day-is-an/) [Dan Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-savage/) > [I'm allergic to dogs, so I couldn't even adopt what gay men typically adopt when they have that maternal gene.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-savage/i-m-allergic-to-dogs-so-i-couldn-t-even-adopt-what-gay-men-typically/) [Dan Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-savage/) > [And that really captures the difference for the bullied straight kid versus the bullied gay kid, is that the bullied straight kid goes home…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-savage/and-that-really-captures-the-difference-for-the-bullied-straight-kid/) [Dan Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-savage/) > [I'm one of those gay people who's constantly reminded of how fortunate I am to live now and not to be Ennis and Jack…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-savage/i-m-one-of-those-gay-people-who-s-constantly-reminded-of-how/) [Dan Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-savage/) > [I think the best thing for you to do is just live your life. Live a life that's worth living, one where you do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-savage/i-think-the-best-thing-for-you-to-do-is-just-live-your-life-live-a/) [Dan Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-savage/) > [the Bible is only as good and decent as the person reading it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-savage/the-bible-is-only-as-good-and-decent-as-the-person-reading-it/) [Dan Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-savage/) > [There's a big mistake the left has made with talking to religious people, which is attempting to talk them out of their interpretations of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-savage/there-s-a-big-mistake-the-left-has-made-with-talking-to-religious/) [Dan Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-savage/) > [The mistake that straight people made was imposing the monogamous expectation on men. Men were never expected to be monogamous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-savage/the-mistake-that-straight-people-made-was-imposing-the-monogamous/) [Dan Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-savage/) > [I got picked on a lot, even by teachers too. I liked to listen to musicals and bake, and my homeroom teacher found out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-savage/i-got-picked-on-a-lot-even-by-teachers-too-i-liked-to-listen-to/) [Dan Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-savage/) > [“Either way... you've got to tell him--in no uncertain terms--to knock it the fuck off already. Don't be measured, don't wrap it up in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-savage/either-way-you-ve-got-to-tell-him-in-no-uncertain-terms-to-knock-it/) [Dan Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-savage/) > [I wanted to be a priest when I was a kid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-savage/i-wanted-to-be-a-priest-when-i-was-a-kid/) [Dan Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-savage/) > [When you're young and queer and closeted, you can end up in this place where you regard your straight peers as the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-savage/when-you-re-young-and-queer-and-closeted-you-can-end-up-in-this-place/) [Dan Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-savage/) [Explore all 147 Dan Savage quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-savage/) ## More Cliche quotes > [All the cliches of glamorous sophistication have little appeal to me. Do I want to live the British version of 'Dynasty?' No thanks!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sade-adu/all-the-cliches-of-glamorous-sophistication-have-little-appeal-to-me/) [Sade Adu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sade-adu/) > [Good things come to those who hustle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-noll/good-things-come-to-those-who-hustle/) [Chuck Noll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-noll/) > [It's a bit cliche, but you can't go wrong by writing what you know. Even if you're a horrible writer, your own knowledge and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/issa-rae/it-s-a-bit-cliche-but-you-can-t-go-wrong-by-writing-what-you-know/) [Issa Rae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/issa-rae/) > [“As an opener, I'd like to state that elves are certainly NOT cliché. It doesn't matter if they all have pointy ears, or they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-fanney/as-an-opener-i-d-like-to-state-that-elves-are-certainly-not-clich-it/) [Robert Fanney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-fanney/) > [“NormnAl, "Like, Share, Follow and subscribe" - The typical cliche drill.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deyth-banger/normnal-like-share-follow-and-subscribe-the-typical-cliche-drill/) [Deyth Banger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deyth-banger/) > [To move past fear is a cliche.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-abbott/to-move-past-fear-is-a-cliche/) [Tony Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-abbott/) > [There are trappings of science fiction which I kind of embrace, but there are also cliches which I run from.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-twohy/there-are-trappings-of-science-fiction-which-i-kind-of-embrace-but/) [David Twohy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-twohy/) > [Audiences are hungry for something different. With binge-watching, they're hungry for interesting content they haven't seen before, and they want to be entertained. A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miles-millar/audiences-are-hungry-for-something-different-with-binge-watching-they/) [Miles Millar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miles-millar/) > [A popular cliche in philosophy says that science is pure analysis or reductionism, like taking the rainbow to pieces; and art is pure synthesis,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-bronowski/a-popular-cliche-in-philosophy-says-that-science-is-pure-analysis-or/) [Jacob Bronowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-bronowski/) > [I think the French have a romantic cliche that Englishmen have great style, great music, irony and sense of humour. Well, sometimes cliches are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josephine-de-la-baume/i-think-the-french-have-a-romantic-cliche-that-englishmen-have-great/) [Josephine de La Baume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josephine-de-la-baume/) > [Last, but not least, avoid cliches like the plague.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-safire/last-but-not-least-avoid-cliches-like-the-plague/) [William Safire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-safire/) > [“The more you know, the less you understand. That's so cliche'. Wanna know the scary version? The more you know, the more fuckups you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/the-more-you-know-the-less-you-understand-that-s-so-cliche-wanna-know/) [Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/) > [You can't do anything if a person says no. In such a case, there's nothing you can do - unlike the popular cliche that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-wolf/you-can-t-do-anything-if-a-person-says-no-in-such-a-case-there-s/) [Markus Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-wolf/) > [“Sometimes people overlooked how useful a cliché was. It got everyone thinking about things in the same sort of way, and that could be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-leese/sometimes-people-overlooked-how-useful-a-clich-was-it-got-everyone/) [Michael Leese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-leese/) > [When academics claim a topic is obsolete, they mean merely they are tired of flogging it with their cliches.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-smith/when-academics-claim-a-topic-is-obsolete-they-mean-merely-they-are/) [Kenny Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-smith/) [Browse all 601 Cliche quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cliche/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When you're a writer, you want to try to avoid cliches. 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